Employee
Profile: Todd Ashcraft
General
Manager of Lake McDonald Lodge
By: Seth
Eagleton
Employee Salute
We would
like to introduce our readers to some of the stand-out members of our team here
at Glacier Park, Inc. Check back for more of our Employee Salutes in the
future.
There is
something to be said about an employee who has the merit and perseverance to
work their way up from the bottom of the ladder. When you occasionally meet a manager who can
claim this attribute, they are usually someone who genuinely cares a lot about
those around them. It doesn’t happen
very often, but Todd Ashcraft is one of the elite few. At times, people hold the position they do because
they have learned the traits necessary to accomplish their responsibilities. With
Todd, it’s easy to see that he is the General Manager of Lake McDonald Lodge
because he is naturally hospitable. Todd
started with the company 18 years ago working in the laundry facility of
Glacier Park Lodge. Since then, he has worked a number of positions throughout
the park including bellman and transportation manager before reaching his
current post as General Manager of Lake McDonald Lodge.
I recently had a chance to visit
with Todd as he gave a mini-tour of the Lake McDonald Lodge. One of the first
things I noticed was that his staff felt comfortable interacting with their
leader, which says a lot. And with all his time working in Glacier National
Park through the years, you better believe he has some good stories to share. He
mentioned a guest who awoke to a loose horse giving her the stare down through
her window, and a staff member who had a stare down with a mountain lion
outside of her dorm window! He mentioned that his biggest claim to fame (or
infamy) was when he sunk his own boat twice in one week. The first time was
because of an unknown leak, and he’ll take credit for that. The second time he
passed responsibility off on a well meaning employee who disconnected the boat’s
battery to avoid possible shorting out. Unfortunately, the bilge pump was
relying on power from that same battery, and down went the boat again. Oops!
Most of the employees under his
direction are college age and at a time in their lives when they are making
some critical life decisions. He rejoices in the right decisions and cringes to
hear of the poor ones. He wants to see
these kids do well. All in all, he is the kind of boss
who not only knows how to work all of the positions he oversees, but isn’t
afraid to jump in and get his hands dirty when needed. Todd Ashcraft, we salute
you!
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| Lake McDonald Lodge, the property that Todd oversees. |
